The spirit of innovation is a peculiar spirit. While coming in, it is the meekest and gentlest of spirits; only it is marvelously firm and persistent. But when going out, no term but fiendish will describe it. It comes in humming the sweetest notes of Zion; it goes out amid the ruin it works, howling like an exorcised demon. At first, it is as supple as a willow twig; you can bend it, mold it, or shape it to anything; only it will have its way. But once it has fully gotten its way, mark how it keeps its footing. It calls for reason, for argument, for Scripture; but no more has it an ear for reason, argument, or Scripture than has the image of Baal. Argue with the spirit of innovation, indeed! I would as sqpn be caught cracking syllogisms over the head of the man of sin. Never. Rebuke it in the name of the Lord; if it go not out-expel it. This only will cure it…<\/p>\n
He is a poor observer of men and things who does not see slowly growing up among us a class of men who can no longer be satisfied with the ancient gospel and the ancient order of things. These men must have changes; and silently they are preparing the mind of the brotherhood to receive changes. Be not deceived, brethren, the Devil is not sleeping. If you refuse to see the danger until ruin is upon you, it will be too late. The wise seaman catches the first whiff of the distant storm and adjusts his ship at once. Let us profit by his example.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Moses E. Lard via Lard’s Quarterly, April 1865 The spirit of innovation is a peculiar spirit. While coming in, it is the meekest and gentlest of spirits; only it is marvelously firm and persistent. But when going out, no term but fiendish will describe it. It comes in humming the sweetest notes of Zion;…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[674,675],"class_list":["post-85172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-change","tag-innovations"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34443,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/immersion-pouring-and-sprinkling-a-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":85172,"position":0},"title":"Immersion, Pouring, and Sprinkling: A History","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce Edwards, Jr. Truth Magazine XIX:27 (May 15, 1975), pp. 422-424 This writer can remember witnessing at the age of five the \"baptism\" of his infant cousin; the denominational \"pastor\" sprinkled drops of water upon his forehead. I wondered at the significance of that action then, but now, with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34328,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-inspiration-and-preservation-of-scripture\/","url_meta":{"origin":85172,"position":1},"title":"The Inspiration and Preservation of Scripture","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by George P. Estes Sentry Magazine, December 1999 That Scripture is the word of God is accepted by all who believe in God and in Jesus. This includes the sixty-six books we call the Bible. ln this age, some nineteen hundred years from the apostles of Christ, we need proof\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21692,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-know-what-is-in-our-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":85172,"position":2},"title":"How do we know what is in our spirit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a sort of complicated question, and really would like any logical answer you can give to help. Any advice you can give, based on Scripture, that helps to establish the truth as to what is the best way for a person to know themselves inside? For instance,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59490,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-words-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":85172,"position":3},"title":"The Words of Jesus (Moyer)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer The recognition of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is integrally linked to His word as recorded in Scripture: \"The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day\" (John 12:48).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59721,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/tradition-feeling-and-scripture\/","url_meta":{"origin":85172,"position":4},"title":"Tradition, Feeling, and Scripture","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Tradition is basically what has been handed down for the next generation to believe and practice. There is nothing wrong with that. Teachings and practices are meant to be passed down. Indeed, tradition is necessary and unavoidable, and no one is without traditions of some kind (including\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39564,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/spiritual-thoughts-spiritual-words\/","url_meta":{"origin":85172,"position":5},"title":"Spiritual Thoughts, Spiritual Words","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford The fundamental question of our faith is whether the Bible is the inspired word of God. If it is, we can rely on its contents. If it isn't, everything we believe in, from the creation to the resurrection, is built on a foundation of sand instead\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85172\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}